Brice Marden

Linda Shearer penned the feature essay for this catalogue, published on the occasion of Brice Marden's first solo museum exhibition which explores the artist's early education as a painter in New York, his modulations of color, and the elusive question of meaning in his canvases. The essay is paired with installation views from previous exhibitions, followed by images of works in black and white and a technical statement on process provided by Marden. The catalogue also includes an exhibition checklist, short biography, and an extensive bibliography of works by and on the artist.

Excerpt

Despite Marden's expression of affinity for early painters, his work parallels most closely contemporary abstract art, particularly in that it relentlessly confronts the viewer with the question of meaning—what does a Marden painting mean; what is he trying to say? Although he is working in a reductive, non-illusionistic idiom, he does not formulate anonymous statements. His paintings are about the larger implications of paint applied to a two-dimensional surface; he believes in the expressive power of paint. And yet, many will invariably ask "is he saying enough?"